Saturday, July 21, 2018

Omnivore Recordings continues to examine the Nighthawk Records label with two new releases, Junior Byles' "Rasta No Pickpocket" and Ethiopian & Gladiators' "Dread Prophecy." These two 1986 reggae classics were remastered from the original recording tapes and reissued back in June. Byles' album was only his third full-length release of his troubled 30-plus year musical career. His chart success came early in the seventies, when the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry produced half-a-dozen singles for Byles. After failing health problems, Junior Byles attempted a comeback with is album "Rasta No Pickpocket," which showcases what Perry called "one of the top vocalist he ever worked with." The original six-song album almost doubles in size with the addition of five bonus tracks, exclusive to this new reissue. The bonus tracks include previously unreleased versions of "Press Along" and "Thanks And Praise," along with the compilation track "Bur Boy." Even though it was recorded over 30 years ago, the reggae music on this release still sounds a good as ever. To find out more about this new reissue of Junior Byles' "Rasta No Pickpocket," please visit omnivorerecordings.com.

In 1986, we also saw the combination of Leonard Dillon a.k.a. Ethiopian joining forces with established reggae band, Gladiators. The two recorded the album "Dread Prophecy," which features eight tracks (four original versions & four dub-step versions) that combine both their strengths. This new reissue also features a new remastered version of the album and (along with Byles' "Rasta No Pickpocket") was released for the first time on CD. You can now appreciate the extended rhythm of the dub versions of "The Whip" with "Dub Lashing" and "No Bad Woman" with "No Way Dub." To find out more about this newly released version of Ethiopian & Gladiators "Dread Prophecy," please visit omnivorerecordings.com.